Catibrating a Vellman k8067

I already had this board in hand. I want to use it with the Duemilanove. The specs on this board say 12V for 5 Vout and 15V for 10V out. but the calibration steps call for 15V in and set for a certain output. I assume that is calibrating it for 0-10 V output. I want 0-5V output to interface with the analog inputs of the Duemilanove. Would the procedure be the same as far as values used for calculation is concerned? Should I limit the output with a 5V zener to protect the input pin of the Duemilanove? I don't have a 15V power source.

Jim

I already had this board in hand.

This one? Or this one? A link would be most useful.

This looks like the manual:

http://www.vellemanprojects.com/downloads/0/illustrated/illustrated_assembly_manual_k8067.pdf

It looks like the device is designed to drive 0-20mA output in proportion to temperature. It also looks like you could muck with resistor R9 in the circuit (change to 250 ohms) for a nominal 5V output.

I believe the circuit is relatively insensitive to voltage V+ (within reason) thus the output current (hence calibration procedure) shouldn't depend too much on whether you use 12V or 15V. What voltage source do you have?

Yes, I would definitely limit the output with a 5V zener (really 4.7V since 5V zeners can go quite a bit higher before they actually break down). Also I would use a series resistor of 1k before the zener (but after the load resistance of the sensor) to limit zener current. The zener shouldn't ever have to turn on, but......

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I believe the circuit is relatively insensitive to voltage V+ (within reason) thus the output current (hence calibration procedure) shouldn't depend too much on whether you use 12V or 15V. What voltage source do you have?
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Thanks for the helpful reply. I have a 12V supply i saved from a scanner which died. It had the same connector as the Duemilanova used.

The gadget shield looks like a complete overkill for my application. I just want to be able to remotely monitor the temperature in my observatory from m,y house via a WiShield. Then I will turn on/off a heater remotely.

Jim

The gadget shield looks like a complete overkill for my application. I just want to be able to remotely monitor the temperature in my observatory from m,y house via a WiShield. Then I will turn on/off a heater remotely.

You might use a thermistor in a voltage divider or similar to input an analog input pin for temperature reporting.